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I NSPIR ED TO R IDE

Thursday January 16, 2020

2020 SPORTIVE CALE N DAR

Every UK event listed from January to November

Established 1891

RIDE FURTHER IN 2020

No excuses! 14,000 miles riding to work and back

Big distance riders tell you how to go long

INTERVIEW

“I’ve never had stress like it ” Alex Dowsett on his 2019 season

OPINION

Stephen Park & Abby Mae Parkinson write

TECH

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STA R T LI N E 1 6 .01

MY H I G H LI G H T S T H I S W E E K 06 Tom Pidcock wins again 12 Abby Mae Parkinson in Monaco 52 The courier who took on the Transcontinental

SIMON RICHARDSON Editor simon.richardson@ti-media.com

22,000 miles in a year? How one rider racked them up

36 Dowsett on getting through a stressful year

Photos Alamy Stock Photo, GodingImages/PA Images, James Vincent

’ve always had a strange fascination for the number of miles I’ve ridden in a year. I don’t think I’m alone. I remember a friend I raced with talking in July about how he was going to up next year’s mileage in order to improve. We were only part way through one season and he’d already decided next year’s mileage needed to be increased. This week’s fitness feature shows elite racers know that more miles doesn’t always mean better results. Rebecca Durrell and Ian Field did a lot less than our other subjects who were more interested in riding distance events, commuting or just enjoying themselves. It was when we were first talking about this feature last year that I became convinced of the 5,000-mile target for our 2020 challenge. It is a big number — as I’m finding out — but not too big. And of course it wouldn’t be fun if it was easy. One way to get those miles up is to get a few sportives in your diary, hence the calendar. The discount code on the UKCE events (UKCE is part of the CW family) will get you money oﬀ some of the best run events in the UK. Keep an eye out for some CW5000 ride-outs at these events.

20 British sportives for your diary

IN FOCUS Reflections There may still be a few days to wait for the start of WorldTour racing but the riders on the Asian circuit have been going strong for a while. Here are the riders on stage two of the Cambodia Bay Cycling Tour, a race won by 28-year-old Laos rider Ariya Phounsavath, while Hong Kong native Hiu Fung Choi (far left) took home the King of the Mountains classification. Photo NurPhoto/PA Images

NEWS

Nationals not enough for Pidcock Triumphant Tom eyeing Worlds podium writes Oskar Scarsbrook

ewly-crowned elite national cyclo-cross champion Tom Pidcock (Trinity Racing) already has his sights set on a podium at the World Cyclo-cross Championships in Dübendorf next month. After returning to racing in the UK at the National Championships in Shrewsbury this weekend, a confident Pidcock told Cycling Weekly: “I really want to be on the podium.” Having pulled on the red, white and blue jersey of national champion, the 20-year-old even said that swapping those colours for the rainbow bands of world champion is not wholly unreasonable. “The win’s not impossible but it is certainly going to be very diﬃcult. I want to go there in the best shape I can and do the best ride I can.” Pidcock’s Nationals victory was his first win of the 2019-20 season but he has racked up eight elite-level podiums in that time. There will be a host of riders with realistic ambitions vying for the famous jersey in Switzerland on February 1 and the new national champion conceded that, “obviously, everyone else is going to be doing exactly the same thing so it’s going to be diﬃcult”. On Sunday in Shrewsbury, the Yorkshireman put on an emphatic display to

win his second consecutive national elite title. On a muddy, hard-going course, Pidcock finished ahead of 18-year-old junior world champion Ben Tulett (Alpecin-Fenix) and team-mate Cameron Mason (Trinity Racing). He jokingly

“The win’s not impossible, but it’s certainly going to be very diﬃcult” 6 | January 16, 2020 | Cycling Weekly

admitted that a relaxed atmosphere at the start nearly saw him miss the whistle entirely. “I wasn’t ready. There was a woman taking a video and I just said to Ben, I hope that women’s going to move out the way and then the whistle went, and I was a bit behind — the first lap I was just rushing but it was much better after that.” Pidcock distanced himself from the field early on before bouncing oﬀ the gauze course

SURPRISE CX WIN

Pidcock’s win was a formality after a frantic first lap

Harnden upsets star names

markings, but it would prove to be plain sailing after that initial first lap issue. Ben Tulett rode an impressive race and showed his talent by riding away from fellow chaser Thomas Mein (Tarteletto-Isorex) at the halfway mark, eventually finishing two minutes and four seconds behind the winner and taking the under-23 title. Trinity Racing rider Cameron Mason

finished on the third step of the podium and described the course in Shrewsbury as a “proper slog.” Pidcock’s next big race is the WorldCup this weekend in Nommay in eastern France before potentially racing in Hoogerheide in the Netherlands on January 26, in preparation for the World Championships taking place the following week.

Strength and skill earned Harnden the rainbow stripes

Photos Andy Jones

Harriet Harnden (T-Mo Racing) won her maiden Cyclo-cross National Championship title in Shrewsbury this weekend. She becomes the first wearer of that jersey to not be either Helen Wyman or Nikki Brammeier in an incredible 15 years. Harnden watched the two cross legends racing last year and admitted that her achievement hadn’t yet sunk in. This was Harnden’s first shot at the senior title at the Nationals and she even surprised herself by winning. Speaking having donned her pristine new jersey after a muddy day out, the 18-year-old said, “It is unreal. I’ve always dreamed of it but to have it come this soon is something else.” Harnden started strongly before being pegged back by Bethany Crumpton (Tarteletto-Isorex), who proved the quicker on the course’s many early running sections. The mountain biker then used her skills to good effect when she made the decisive move in the technical wooded section on the final lap, holding on for the win. “I was a little bit quicker. It paid off and I just gave it everything,” she said. Crumpton finished 14 seconds adrift and had to settle for silver, with pre-race ranking favourite Anna Kay (Experza Pro CX) finishing third. The newly-crowned national champion is a multi-disciplinary talent and has been signed by Trek Factory Racing to compete in enduro mountain bike races. “I’m lucky enough to still be racing cyclo-cross and cross-country as well as the enduro so it’s going to be a full-on year,” she said.

Cycling Weekly | January 16, 2020 | 7

NEWS The Michaelgate cobbles are a British cycling institution

Lincoln GP in need of £20,000

nless £20,000 can be raised before the end of March, the Lincoln Grand Prix will be cancelled. Organisers of the historic race, which stretches back to 1956, have been plunged into a financial black hole after their previous title sponsor, Chestnut Homes, decided it could no longer provide funding for the race. The cost of running both the men’s and women’s races is £45,000, but currently organisers have only secured around £25,000. That money is derived from other sponsors, the associated sportive and the local authority. A police bill of £10,000 needs to be paid in the next 10 weeks, and if no new sponsors come on board then the race that has been won four times by Russ Downing and Paul Curran will be absent from the domestic calendar for the first time in 64 years. “Things are looking serious,” Dan Ellmore, head organiser of the race, told Cycling Weekly. “In the past if we have been a grand short,

8 | January 16, 2020 | Cycling Weekly

between the organising team we have put like to think there are people out there who some of our own money in, but £20,000 love the race as much as I do and are able to isn’t in our piggy banks. help financially. Hopefully there is someone “We are still having planning meetings who says, ‘We can’t not have a Lincoln GP’,” and the race is all set to go, but if we don’t he said. have the money by the end of March to pay The Lincoln GP’s struggles follow hot on for police and other costs then it is oﬀ.” the heals of the Eddie Soens race, which Chestnut Homes had sponsored the race was cancelled earlier this month over for the past three years and originally money troubles before swiftly being revived intended to continue its commitment, but by a new organiser with new backers. uncertainty in the current political climate Ellmore revealed that he has enough has negatively aﬀected the housing market, money to run the Lincoln race away from prompting its decision. the city centre and the cobbled Michaelgate Ellmore is speaking climb — potentially in to previous sponsors the Lincolnshire Wolds THE BEST OF LINCOLN and “actively sourcing — but he is loath to Winning Lincoln is a highlight on leads and ideas” but do so. any rider’s domestic palmarès and confessed that “for He added: “The some have triumphed more than many businesses, compromise would be once. Four wins: Paul Curran and now isn’t the right in the Wolds. But the Russ Downing; three wins: Ron Coe; current finish line in time”. He added: two wins: Tom Stewart, Peter “Economy-wise Castle Square has been Kennaugh, Chris Newton, John now is not a the same since 1987 and Tanner, Albert Hitchen and John great time.” if the race is not in the Perks. Notable other winners: Ian Nevertheless, he town centre, it’s not the remains optimistic. “I’d Bibby, Dean Downing, Chris Walker, Lincoln GP, is it?” Brian Smith, Malcolm Elliott and Phil Edwards.

Words Chris Marshall-Bell Photo Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com

Revered race in jeopardy as March funding deadline draws nearer

NEWS

Persistence paid off for Meyer at the Australian National Champs

Meyer wins Aussie title at 12th attempt Spratt makes it three in women’s race After collecting himself, Meyer, who’s mostly known for his exploits on the track, said: “It’s been 12 long years. I fell in love with this race so long ago and I’ve been so close so many times. “Someone said the other day, ‘You’ve got nine World Championships, why do you want it so much?’ But my brother has won it, Luke Durbridge, one of my best mates, has won it, and I just wanted it so badly. “I want to put that green and gold jersey on, take it to Europe and wear it proudly.”

Photo Getty Images

ameron Meyer has claimed the Australian men’s national road race title, attacking over the final climb to seal a championship win on the 12th time of asking. The 32-year-old shouted “finally” after crossing the finish line before bursting into tears. Mitchelton-Scott team-mate Lucas Hamilton crossed the line 56 seconds later, with Marcus Culey (Sapura Cycling) coming in soon after in third place.

Amanda Spratt took her third national title in the women’s road race, beating Justine Barrow in a two-up sprint after trying but failing to pull clear in the closing kilometres. Spratt adds a 2020 win to previous successes in 2012 and 2016. Spratt’s team-mate Grace Brown had worked hard to set up the win and was herself rewarded with a bronze medal, finishing 11 seconds down, with the next riders coming across the line more than five minutes later. “It’s just as special if not more special the third time around. I owe my team this one, they rode incredibly well, you saw how much work Grace Brown did in that break,” Spratt said after the finish. Earlier in the week, Luke Durbridge (Mitchelton-Scott) defended his national time trial title, sealing his fourth win as he beat Ineos’s Rohan Dennis by a margin of 18 seconds. In the women’s race against the clock, Sarah Gigante (TIBCO-SVB) prevented a Mitchelton-Scott clean sweep, edging out Grace Brown by nine seconds.

RACING AHEAD Women’s Tour Down Under (Jan 16-19) Amanda Spratt leads Mitchelton-Scott in the ﬁrst race of the season, with the Australian aiming to win her home event for a fourth consecutive time. Two Brits, Pfeiffer Georgi and Anna Henderson, race for Team Sunweb.

stage — his only victory all season. Total Direct Energie and Coﬁdis begin their seasons here, with the former including Niccolò’s brother, Leonardo, in their roster. Ramūnas Navardauskas, long-time WorldTour rider, is part of NippoDelko-One Provence’s six-man team.

La Tropicale Amissa Bongo (Jan 20-26) Held in Gabon, it is one of the biggest races in Africa and was won last year by Italian Niccolò Bonifazio, who claimed three of the seven stages. André Greipel also won a

Cyclo-Cross World Cup: Nommay Pays de Montbeliard (Jan 19) The action moves away from Belgium and into eastern France for the eighth round of this season’s World Cup. Dutchman

10 | January 16, 2020 | Cycling Weekly

Mathieu van der Poel has won each of the last four rounds, but it is Belgium’s Toon Aerts who currently sits atop the rankings with two races to go, largely thanks to van der Poel missing the opening three ﬁxtures. Dutchwoman Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado and Czech Republic’s Katerina Nash are separated by just a single point at the summit of the women’s classiﬁcation; the former is in excellent form, but don’t discount Britain’s Evie Richards, recently returned from injury. Dutchwoman Lucinda Brand has won the last two rounds.

2020 Tour Dates: June 12th – 14th July 13th – 17th July 25th August 29th – 31st

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COLUMNISTS

NEW

OPINION

Parkinson, now back on her feet, rode cross Nationals

AB BY M A E PA RKI N SO N

Monaco emergency care is the best

s it’s my fi rst column here it would be rude not to introduce myself: Abby Mae Parkinson, 22, professional cyclist. Born and bred in Yorkshire. I’ve been living and racing abroad since I was 18, which is ironic because the only subject I dropped at school was French and it’s probably the one I use the most. I am currently living on the Côte d’Azur between Monaco and Italy, a million miles away from my little village of Hartshead. Living down here it’s crazy the people you bump into — usually when you’re not quite ‘at your best’. 12 | January 16, 2020 | Cycling Weekly

None more so than the time I tried to remove my arm-warmers rolling into Monaco and ended up wrapped around a bollard. It was one of those occasions when you tentatively look round hoping no one actually noticed; obviously this was not to be and my emergency service was none other than [marathon star] Paula Radcliffe. The embarrassment was real but my saviour couldn’t have been nicer. “I only live across the road, please come in and let me clean you up,” she offered. “No no, it’s fi ne, I’m fi ne, honestly, thank you,” I replied. My dad was livid, Paula is his favourite. “You didn’t go into Paula Radcliffe’s house?!” he chastised me.

It later turned out that I’d fractured my sternum, but I guess if you’re going to have an accident there are far worse places to do it than Monaco. At the moment I’m currently racing for Trinity for the cyclo-cross season which will fi nish for me after the National Championships, after which I’ll be riding for Lotto-Soudal on the road, which happens to be the same team as my boyfriend Jon Dibben. I’m just glad I’m the smaller one because if I turn up to a race with his jersey at least I’ll be able to get it on, whereas I’m not so sure how his 190cm self will get on with my XXS one.

Abby Mae Parkinson rides for Lotto-Soudal

JA K E S T E WA RT

S T E P H E N PA R K

“SO, YO U’ V E RIDDEN THE TOUR DE FRANCE?”

TOKYO IS GO

Jake Stewart rides for Team Groupama-FDJ

T W E E TS O F TH E W EE K

Philip Glowinski PSA: buying a power meter won’t make you faster. @philipglowinski

Alec Briggs Slower actually. The weight of the numbers on the screen add aerodynamic drag. @Alec_Pedaler

“Now we’ve hit 2020, the excitement is growing”

Stephen Park is British Cycling performance director

Photos Andy Jones

I assume the formalities we adopt when introducing ourselves in person remain the same when introducing ourselves in writing. Therefore, it seems a good idea to start here. I’ve been guilty on more than one occasion of introducing myself as a plumber. Why? Because, no one asks questions. However, on the occasions when the fella I was speaking to asked me for my business card, you can imagine I made a fairly swift exit from the conversation. The reason I’ve chosen on so many occasions to introduce myself as a plumber instead of a cyclist, is simple: to avoid what is nearly always the ﬁrst question to follow the formalities: “So, you’ve ridden the Tour de France?” I haven’t. It’s often difficult to explain to people what an under-23 rider is. I’ve seen a number of under-23s label themselves as professionals, but I think the easiest way to explain it would be to say we are paid amateurs — a bit like boxers in the Olympics. In my opinion the word ‘professional’ should be reserved only for the big boys. Under-23s would be more accurately described as developing professionals — and that’s what I am. My name is Jake Stewart and I ride for the French U23 development team Equipe Groupama-FDJ.

Tokyo 2020 will be my 10th Olympic and Paralympic Games, but my first as performance director of the Great Britain Cycling Team. I enjoy this feeling of anticipation and, now we’ve hit 2020, the excitement within the team is growing. In these final months, you’ll notice our focus narrowing on to the riders who have podium potential in Tokyo, and this will be reflected in major event selections. One of the events I’m really looking forward to is the National Track Championships in Manchester on January 24-26. Last year’s event provided a real spectacle as the biggest names from the GBCT went head-to-head in the battle for national titles. I’ll never forget Olympic champions Laura Kenny, Elinor Barker and Katie Archibald competing in the scratch race and ultimately filling the podium. The Nationals also present a development opportunity, and a lot of our Academy riders will compete this year. It’s their chance to race against established riders and put a marker down to be part of our Paris 2024 programme. If you’re looking for something to do this January, then please buy some tickets and show your support. I hope to see you there!

Cycling Weekly | January 16, 2020 | 13

NEWS

THE HUB All the news you might have missed from the last seven days Q Riis returns to the WorldTour Bjarne Riis will return to top-ﬂight cycling this season as team manager of NTT Pro Cycling (formerly Dimension Data) alongside Doug Ryder. The controversial Dane, who won the Tour de France in 1996 only to later admit to using EPO to do so, is co-owner of the Danish Virtu Cycling team, who have bought a share in NTT. “Together, I believe we can develop one of the world’s best cycling teams built on being performance and technology-driven, combined with our many years of experience from the WorldTour,” Riis said.

Cavendish will test his early-season form at an erstwhile stamping ground

Riis: back at the top tier of professional cycling

3,661 ...metres height elevation on Chris Froome’s ride last Sunday, over a distance of 158km and a time of just under six hours. It was the third ride of a three-day block of substantial outings in Gran Canaria, where he is out on a Team Ineos training camp. It included the 24km climb of Complessa Tederas da Horno, which averages four per cent, and while he clearly has a long way to go, it will certainly raise a few eyebrows among those who doubted Froome’s will to come back from his terrible crash in June. Q Evans Insta hijack An Evans Cycles store Instagram account has been hijacked by a suspected disgruntled employee, who has used the social media platform to criticise the company’s new owners, saying the higher management had “failed with their head in the sand”. The account is believed to be that of the Gatwick branch. Evans says its legal team is looking into the situation.

14 | January 16, 2020 | Cycling Weekly

Q Cav rides again Mark Cavendish has confirmed his early season plans with new team Bahrain-McLaren, which include Milan-San Remo. The Manxman won the Italian Classic in 2009, but has not finished anywhere near the front since 2014, when he was fifth. The 34-year-old will begin his season at the new Tour of Saudi Arabia in early February, and after San Remo will head to the cobbled Classics. “Mark is in this moment at the training camp in Altea in Spain. He is training hard and motivated to perform well in the coming season,” said a team spokesman.

Photos Getty Images , PA Archive/PA Images

Q Cyclist spotted on motorway Few road users need much of an excuse to avoid the M25, which made it all the more surprising that a cyclist was spotted on the busy Surrey stretch at the weekend. Police were dispatched and traffic was slowed as authorities searched for the maverick offender, but he or she ultimately gave authorities the slip before they could be tracked down.

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THE BIG QUESTION

Bushfires are putting the first WorldTour race in jeopardy

Should the Tour Down Under go ahead during Australia’s bushfire crisis?

Q Possibly holding a bike race in the middle of a continent-scale catastrophe is a little inappropriate. Wendy Lawson Q If the fires aren’t aﬀecting the route of the race then it should go ahead. When smoke and the actual fires get close to the riders then questions should be asked. Tim Bonville-Ginn Q No! It’s a sport, not a necessity. Use the

money to promote the event for humanitarian causes. Next year you will have more fans than you know what to do with. Do the right thing! Victor Scott-Hupp Q Considering that the dry, hot conditions causing the fires are linked to climate change it’s not really a good idea to fly lots of people around the world for a bike race. But then maybe it’s just business as usual and damn the world. Steve Price Q I live in the Adelaide hills but luckily outside of the areas aﬀected by the fires. These fires started before Christmas and are now out and unless new fires start, the race area is safe. Chris Wolﬀ Q Yes! I went two years ago and it’s a great event, plus as one of the many solutions to

GET IN TOUCH

cycling@ti-media.com 0 1 2 5 2 555213 16 | January 16, 2020 | Cycling Weekly

climate change there is no better time to promote cycling in Australia. Philip Carter Q As a mark of respect toward the people who’ve lost their lives I think it should be cancelled this year. Martin Hughes Q I know a family in Adelaide. They posted about a fire a few weeks ago but nothing recently. They’ve been at the beach. It should go on. Brings awareness and tourist money. Liz Williams

NEXT WEEK’S BIG QUESTION… What’s your big target for 2020? And is your fitness on track? Reply to us at cycling@ti-media.com or at www.facebook.com/CyclingWeekly

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Photo: Andy Jones

Q The ground is tinder-dry right now. The smallest spark or dropped cigarette could start the next blaze. I cannot see it going ahead without some impact on some of the routes due to recent or potential fires. Perhaps it’s time cycling stepped back and considered its carbon footprint. Steve Crispin

LETTER OF THE WEEK

W H AT YO U ’ R E SAYI N G

Me and my famous bike

Recovering his previous form will be tough for Froome

Chris Froome’s recovery I thought rushing him back into shape and competitive cycling was a bit naive, let alone dangerous. I mean, he broke his femur, that’s kind of a big deal of a bone. Babis Charalampidis

am sure he can recover and perform again at a very high level. Yet, I have the impression that media and commercial pressures are unnecessary and harmful. Esteban A Miralles

Froome will never be back to his very best form after this injury. If he were 25 years old instead of 35 it might be a diﬀerent story. That’s why his dream of a fifth Tour de France win is out the window. Stoney Saunders

Froome will be a great support rider this year. Maybe full fitness next year. Eoin Kelleher

Give this man some time. Remove the pressure from him. He has done enough. I CYCLING WEEKLY, TI MEDIA CONTACT US cycling@ti-media.com | 01252 555213 TI Media Limited, Pinehurst 2, Pinehurst Road, Farnborough Business Park, Farnborough, Hants, GU14 7BF Editor: Simon Richardson News and features editor: Vern Pitt Tech editor: Michelle Arthurs-Brennan Fitness editor: David Bradford Writers: James Shrubsall Tech writers: Rupert Radley, Hannah Bussey, James Bracey Group chief sub editor: Daniel Thomas Chief sub editor: Jonathan Emery Sub editor: Steve Shrubsall Group art director: Kevin Eason Group art editor: Daniel Baines Deputy group art editor: Ben Smith Senior designer: Steph Tebboth Photographer: Daniel Gould Picture editor: Simon Scarsbrook Digital editor: Richard Windsor Web writer: Alex Ballinger Videographer: Andrew Daley Video editor: Ed Westrop ADVERTISING Contact: 01252 555325 Head of market: Sean Igoe, sean.igoe@ti-media.com

Ed – I think I’d be tempted to keep the bike, John. Surely age is no reason to stop riding a great bike. In fact, I’m banking on my bikes getting progressively better as I get progressively older.

I wonder if it is possible to have that tiny edge that makes a champion after such horrible injuries... I hope it is, but if not, he has nothing to show the world, he must be considered a great. Shaun Kirby Account director: Ben Day, ben.day@ti-media.com Account director: Jess Holmes, Jess.holmes@ti-media.com Account director: Rebecca Hutt, Rebecca.hutt@ti-media.com Senior sales executive: Tevin Tom, Tevin.tom@ti-media.com Marketing manager: Victor Alway Events marketing manager: Dawn Brooks Marketing designer: Mike Rawley Sports managing director: Gareth Beesley Sports editor-in-chief: Simon Collis Managing director: Andrea Davies

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Let him have his space to recover. A broken femur is very hard to recover from. Let him rebuild his form and come back strong in 2021. Lawrence Leong

I never expected him to be in form for the Tour, regardless of all the reports about his recovery. It just wasn’t realistic and his age isn’t helping with this either. Ken Kaniﬀ

Your Review of the Decade article (CW Dec 19) reminded me of the day when, as a supporter of the Vacansoleil cycle team, I was following the Tour de France in a team car with Frank Kwanten [a manager at the team] and witnessed the now infamous accident and injuries sustained by Johnny Hoogerland. When the team folded I was very lucky to receive Hoogerland’s bike as a gift. I have since ridden it in many events including the RideLondon-Surrey Classic, along with other events in the UK and Europe including Paris-Roubaix and Liège-Bastogne-Liège. I am now way past the 70-year mark and am ﬁnding it hard to justify owning such a fantastic bike. I’m unsure if I should keep it or sell it. John Corrigan, fundraising for the RFU Injured Players Foundation

Cycling Weekly | January 16, 2020 | 17

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FE AT U R E

2020

SPORTIVE CALEN DAR Sharpen your form in the glorious British countryside with our month-by-month sportive run-down Words Oskar Scarsbrook

portives remain a great way to get out and ride. Whether it’s your big aim for the season, a break from the same old training rides, or a way to explore some new roads, a few events dotted throughout your 2020 calendar are a good way to keep up your motivation. Over the following pages we’ve listed over 200 events for you to chose from, so start planning and get entering.

January Harp Hilly Hundred Reliability Ride Hertfordshire | January 19 31/62 miles | All £12 bit.ly/2PLUS2A

20 | January 16, 2020 | Cycling Weekly

February Velo29 Sprint Sportive Series — Round 2

Yorkshire | February 8 60 miles | £22.50 bit.ly/2YRkSO0 Ride It London Road Sportive Isleworth | February 9 40/54/73 miles £25/£30 bit.ly/35u3GAO Mille Maglia cx Sportive Suﬀolk | February 16

FE AT U R E £20/£27.50/£30 bit.ly/38JlZUw Wiltshire Wildcat Wiltshire | March 8 44/73 miles | £25/£35 bit.ly/2PLqdCo SAVE 15% USING CODE: GREAT15

Biggin Hill | February 16 66 miles | £30 Once a reliability ride, now a full-on sportive but still run by a cycling club. Catford CC, one of the oldest clubs in the country, plough all the funds back into their club and race team. bit.ly/2svTIAh

Velo29 Sprint Sportive Series – Round 3 Pontefract | February 22 71 miles | £22.50 bit.ly/2EliB4d Yorkshire True Grit Skies North Yorkshire | February 22 50 miles | £60 bit.ly/2PTDzg5

Bucks Road Sportive Hertfordshire | February 23 42/62 miles | All £16 bit.ly/2PpUCXL

March Cambridgeshire Classic Peterborough | March 1 34/52/70 miles | £3/£35/£40 bit.ly/2svwlXp SAVE 15% USING CODE: GREAT15

Photos Dave Haywood, Chris Catchpole, AV pics/Alamy Stock Photo, Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com

EDITOR’S PICK H ELL OF TH E ASH DOWN ( H O TA ) 2 0 2 0

Ride the Reservoir 2020 Birmingham | March 15 16/47/62 miles | £16/£26/£31 bit.ly/2rUX6EC

Cycling Weekly | January 16, 2020 | 21

FE AT U R E 40/71 miles | All £31 bit.ly/2PpLeUi

39 miles | £25 bit.ly/2PoEgPc

TCC Surrey Rumble Cobham | March 15 60/80 miles | £20 bit.ly/2Pr6wAP

CFC’s Meon Vale Spring Classic Stratford Upon Avon | March 22 | 21/38/62 miles £10/£12/£15 bit.ly/2YXDQ5x

Daﬀodils Sportive North Yorkshire March 21 36/77/88 miles | £22.50/£27.50/£30 bit.ly/2LXWViY

Wheelbase Spring Classic Kendal | March 22 34 /55 miles | £20/£25 bit.ly/36DtHO7

Sufolk Spring Classic Newmarket | March 22 40/75 miles | £25/£35 bit.ly/2M1YJax SAVE 15% USING CODE: GREAT15

Battle of Bradfield Sheﬃeld | March 22

KOM — King of the Mountains South Wales | March 28 65/75 miles | All £35 bit.ly/36EBrPP KOG — King of Grit Gravel/Cross Sportive

Notch up your mileage while taking in Britain’s natural splendour

If you’re riding sportives then why not sign up to our 5,000-mile challenge and see how many miles you can log in 2020? Sign up for free at www.cyclingweekly.com/cw5000

South Wales | March 28 47 miles | £35 bit.ly/2toy8hw Ridgeway Rouleur Henley-on-Thames | March 29 32/54/81 miles | £35/£40/£40 bit.ly/2POHNFI SAVE 15% USING CODE: GREAT15

April Spring Onion 2020 Cobham | April 5 66 miles | £20 bit.ly/2YS8xsU Ronde Van Calderdale 2020 West Yorkshire | April 5

50/76 miles | All £28 bit.ly/36JzKRs

30/66/80 miles | £35/£40/£40 bit.ly/2RZ6YYE

King Edward 100 Sportive Newark | April 5 24 /62/106 miles | All £30 bit.ly/34rEcTc

SAVE 15% USING CODE: GREAT15

Haldon Heroic CX Sportive Exeter | April 18 15/34/51 miles £25/£35/£35 bit.ly/38Tpacq New Forest Spring & Cycling Festival Hampshire | April 19

Brighton Marathon BM Ride 2020 Hove | April 19 31 miles | £40 bit.ly/2rIogyN The BHCC Spring Classic Sportive Hailsham | April 19 42/62 miles | £23/£29 bit.ly/35CBziZ Richardson’s Rumble Come and Try Sportive Cambridgeshire | April 19 65 /108 miles | £30/£35 bit.ly/2Z3zWs9 The Lakeland Loop Cumbria | April 19 71 miles | £25 bit.ly/34pVY9r Herts Easter Hunt Hatfield | April 19 32/64/96 miles £20/£25/£25 bit.ly/2r1qzMU The Spring Classic 2020 Hailsham | April 19 41/62 miles | £24/£30 bit.ly/38MuLAX Heart of the Wolds Sportive 2020 East Yorkshire | April 19 23/63/82/100 miles £20.50/£25.50/ £25.50/£25.50 bit.ly/2RY0SrG The Hemel Hillbuster Hemel Hempstead | April 19 37/62 miles | £26/£31 bit.ly/2EmVV3t Aldington Sportive 2020 Kent | April 25 68 miles | £21 bit.ly/2r2EWAE

FE AT U R E

Events not to miss UK events can take you to some of the most beautiful parts of the country. Quiet roads, stunning scenery and faultless organisation mean the following events get our approval Wiltshire Wildcat March 8 Blow the cobwebs off with this early-season sportive. The route uses medieval drovers’ trails and takes in a few of the Saxon villages the area is famous for. Starting out from Salisbury racecourse, you are into the action quickly with a steep climb through Donhead Hollow. The ride then takes in rolling terrain on its way back to Salisbury, but there is a sting in the tail with two short, sharp climbs right at the end. Bostin’ Bridge Sportive May 17 Take in the picturesque scenery of Shropshire as you wind your way through the county on rolling country lanes. The ﬁrst half of the ride is relatively pleasant as you wind through stunning hamlets and pretty villages before reaching the formidable slopes of the Wrekin, the route’s highest point. The route then skirts the River Severn and passes the landmark that gives the ride its name, the iconic World Heritage Site Iron Bridge, which dates back to the 1700s. Dartmoor Classic June 21 The Dartmoor Classic is a prestigious sportive that

takes in the very best that the uplands of Devon have to offer. The route is packed full of the beautiful scenery that the National Park has become famous for, including various hills. With an undulating route proﬁle, the Dartmoor offers some testing challenges along the way. Hemsworthy Gate, Princetown, Rundlestone, Warren House Inn and Doccombe are all climbs that any sportive rider will be eager to tick off. Mendips Sportive July 12 Explore one of the most beautiful areas to ride a bike in the UK at the Mendips Sportive. A pan-ﬂat opening 15 miles showcases some glorious scenery before two sharp climbs and the spectacular sight of Cheddar Gorge, followed by a leisurely 30 miles back into Glastonbury. Ride Yorkshire August 9 Follow in the tyre tracks of the 2019 Road World Championships in a sportive littered with now recognisable route markers such as Ouster Bank. This is a tough route with some gruelling climbs but there’s ample reward in the form of stunning views across the North York Moors.

Cycling Weekly | January 16, 2020 | 23

FE AT U R E Kinross Sportive Scotland | April 25 45/67/88 miles | £30 bit.ly/2YTgZIk Challenge for Hope Sportive Cotswold Gloucestershire | April 25 20/45/70 miles | All £25 bit.ly/2Eljda0 The Rutland CiCLE Tour Sportive Oakham | April 25 40/79/101 miles £22.50/£27.50/£30 bit.ly/2EpUYr6 Etape Loch Ness Inverness | April 26 66 miles | £65 bit.ly/2LXbUti Bostin’ Chase Newport | April 26 40/60/75 miles £20/£25/£30 bit.ly/2rTEjtl

Quattro Sportive Northamptonshire | April 26 53/78/90 miles | All £30 bit.ly/2toKwOy

Hammer Sportive Devon | April 26 40/65/84 miles £25.99/£29.99/£29.99 bit.ly/2tmGVAp

Hampshire Hilly Hundred Winchester | May 3 61/100 miles | £26/£33.25 bit.ly/35uJgHQ

San Fairy Ann CC Cyclosportive 2020 Kent | April 26 53/71 miles | All £18.50 bit.ly/2rUdUM1

Cambridge 100 Cambridge | May 3 100 miles | £23 bit.ly/36MAeGp

White Horse Challenge Oxfordshire | April 26 78/89 miles | All £30 bit.ly/34nFSwV

Cambridge 60/35 Cambridge | May 3 35/60 miles | £21/£22 bit.ly/2Z5xvFv

The Puncheur Cyclosportive Ditchling | April 26 62 miles | £29.50 bit.ly/2M1KP8h

Tour de Yorkshire Ride 2020 Yorkshire | May 3 37/62/80 miles £49.50/£54.50/£54.50 bit.ly/2Pu8DUp

Exmoor Beauty Cycle Challenge Devon | April 26 62 miles | £28 bit.ly/36EOCAh

Forest of Dean Classic 2020 Monmouth | May 3 31/62/89 miles | £20/£35/£40 bit.ly/34tYxqM

24 | January 16, 2020 | Cycling Weekly

FE AT U R E 73/82/155 miles £64/£64/£199 bit.ly/34uT43g Tour of the Peak Sportive Bakewell | May 10 62/115 miles | All £30 bit.ly/2rK ApmQ Spring Classic Sportive Norfolk | May 10 8/25/50/75/100 miles £10/£15.50/£15.50/ £15.50/£15.50 bit.ly/2r3J5Eq Belles and Buns Tayside | May 10 16/32/64 miles £30/£35/£40 bit.ly/2r1N9oH Solway Sportive Dumfries | May 10 43/76/101 miles £25/£30/£35 bit.ly/2tm03hW SWRC Mayflyer Cobham | May 10 56/101 miles | All £25 bit.ly/36Jp2Kq Lake District 108 Mile Loop Lancaster | May 10 108 miles | £30 bit.ly/38L6Dij VE Day Rolleston on Dove Sportive Staﬀordshire | May 10 43/56/80 miles | All £31 bit.ly/35yVyPm

EDITOR’S PICK T H E E TA P E D U DA L E S North Yorkshire | May 17 61/112 miles | £36/£50 This brutal ride is a key fundraising event for the Dave Rayner Fund. It’s not uncommon for a few local, British pros to ride it if there’s no clash on the race calendar. bit.ly/2M4T2IT

Jurassic Beast Bovington | May 16 43/70 miles | £25/£35 bit.ly/2Pq7ixS SAVE 15% USING CODE: GREAT15

Tour of the Pennines Sportive Durham | May 16 42/78 miles | £27.50/£30 bit.ly/2EnvquQ Cycling Weekly | January 16, 2020 | 25

Rotherham | May 17 67/100 miles | All £32.50 bit.ly/2Px6dol

30/60/75 miles £20/£25/£30 bit.ly/38J92dp

Squires and Spires Cyclosportive Northamptonshire | May 17 51/78/96 miles | All £30 bit.ly/2EmGpot

Hertfordshire 100 Welwyn Garden City | May 17 100 miles | £25 bit.ly/2tsmz91

Suﬀolk Sunrise 100 Woodbridge | May 17 42/65/102 miles £26/£38/£38 bit.ly/34q3mBL The Cocker Hoop Keswick | May 17 45 miles | £35 bit.ly/2swY1v4

Tour of the Dengie Essex | May 17 27/51 miles | £20.20/£24.20 bit.ly/2YVcjSp

Black Rat Challenge Bristol | May 17 53/70/103 miles | £29/£30/£30 bit.ly/2EqQ657

Derwentwater Sportive Keswick | May 17 11 miles | £25 bit.ly/35APW7q

Etape Du Sussex Burgess Hill | May 17

Rotherham Wheelers Centenary Ride

Bostin’ Bridge Sportive Newport | May 17

EDITOR’S PICK FRED WHITTON CHALLENGE 2020 Cumbria | June 7 112 miles | £75 Enter if you dare. This remains one of the UK’s toughest rides and as such should be on everyone’s bucket list. bit.ly/2M2AQjh

26 | January 16, 2020 | Cycling Weekly

FE AT U R E Cyclists Fighting Cancer Sportive Stratford Upon Avon | May 24 30/64/100/130 miles £12/£20/£22.50/£25 bit.ly/35ux1ep Tilting at Windmills 2020 Huntingdon | May 24 35/62/101 miles £21/£26/£26 bit.ly/2rJ3Plf The Tour Essex Ilford | May 24 42/70/110 miles £20/£25/£25 bit.ly/2M6eNrY Ride Cotswolds Gloucesteshire | May 30 41/80/100 miles £35/£40/£40 bit.ly/2Eq5JtH SAVE 15% USING CODE: GREAT15

103 miles | £36 bit.ly/36N3Svd

£11/£21/£26 bit.ly/2r6BrJu

Le Petit Depart Skipton | May 31 38/49/80/100 miles £20/£22/£30/£32 bit.ly/34vBBHY

The London Ditchling Devil Wimbledon | June 7 127 miles | £17.50 bit.ly/2EqMqjN

B2B Cyclosportive Burgess Hill | May 31 12/28/46/79/100 miles All £38 bit.ly/2PSBocC

Suﬀolk Coast 100 Woodbridge | June 7 35/65/100 miles | £23 bit.ly/2S4EAo3

June The Flat 100 Sportive South Yorkshire | June 6 25/66/100 miles £30/£30/£33 bit.ly/2PX9aNB Whitby Sportive Whitby | June 6 29/54/81 miles £22.50/£27.50/£30 bit.ly/36H3QVx Evans Cycles King of the Downs Crawley | June 7 35/62/115 miles | All £32 bit.ly/35tW01e The Rugby Sportive Corsham | June 7 25/61/85 miles £26/£36/£36 bit.ly/2M2IgTs Pedal Lynn presents the West Norfolk Sportive King’s Lynn | June 7 8/25/50/75/100 miles £17/£21/£21/£21/£21 bit.ly/2r2SRGT Black Sheep Big Spoon Bike Ride 2020 North Yorkshire | June 7 55/87 miles | All £45 bit.ly/2rMyIFu Fleet Flyer 2020 Fleet | June 7 20/60/100 miles

The Vitus Dragon Ride Port Talbot | June 7 62/95/139/186 miles £49.50/£55.50/ £60.50/£95.50 bit.ly/34vsdnq Tour of Cambridgeshire Sportive Peterborough | June 7 70/100 miles | £60/£80 bit.ly/2PtsGCA Bostin’ Peaks Sportive Rocester | June 7 40/65/75 miles | £21/£26/£31 bit.ly/2EnoMF0 Vale Vélo York | June 13 49/77 miles | £25/£35 bit.ly/2sz2Fc4 SAVE 15% USING CODE: GREAT15

Salsa Frontier 300 Coastto-Coast Gravel Ride Dumfries & Galloway | June 13 186 miles | £95 bit.ly/35z83KE The Haydon Hundred Northumberland | June 13 | 37/63/87 miles All £26 bit.ly/2S1ixP3 RAFA Rides Leicestershire | June 13 Virtual/30/70/100 miles £25/£25/£35/£35 bit.ly/2YUSBpS

FE AT U R E Giant Lincoln Cycle Sportive at Doddington Hall Lincoln | June 21 33/50/70/100 miles £33/£36/£36/£36 bit.ly/38QrsJ0 Humber Bridge Sportive Hessle | June 21 22/41/61 miles £9.50/£26/£26 bit.ly/34uT96T White Rose Classic 2020 Ilkley | June 21 49/87/122 miles | All £45 bit.ly/35x1kkC Dartmoor Classic Newton Abbot | June 21 39/68/110 miles | All £43 bit.ly/2M4q6k9 Tour of the Machars Sportive Dumfries & Galloway | The New Forest sportive: saddle up for wild horses and wilderness

28 | January 16, 2020 | Cycling Weekly

June 21 | 35/66 miles £20/£25 | bit.ly/2M3Td7q Iron Mountain 2020 Abergavenny | June 27 20/40/70/100 miles £11/£16/£21/£21 bit.ly/2sEJ7mI Cycle 4 Heroes 2020 Gillingham | June 27 47 miles | £26 bit.ly/2rVbbSF Peaks Tour Sportive Bakewell | June 28 44/75/100 miles £35/£40/£40 bit.ly/2r15uSN SAVE 15% USING CODE: GREAT15

Ryedale Rumble York | June 28 42/71/104 miles £25/£30/£35 bit.ly/2S2h4bu

All for a good cause The following events are charity rides, but still oﬀer all the back-up and support that we have come to expect from good sportives. Have a great ride while earning money for a good cause.

£23/£34/£34 bit.ly/38KbHnf

Royal British Legion Poppy Ride Newport | May 31 21/43/85 miles | All £32 bit.ly/2qZsFNc

London to Southend London | July 19 52 miles | £23 bit.ly/2PTG5CW

Royal British Legion Northern Ride 2020 Teeside | June 27 70/100 miles | All £46 bit.ly/36CFEng Samaritans Cycle High Wycombe | June 27 25/50/80 miles

Manchester to Blackpool Salford | July 5 60 miles | £22.50 bit.ly/2Q8kyGT

London to Cambridge London | July 26 60 miles | £25 bit.ly/34s4MeR Manchester 100 Manchester | September 13 75/100 miles | All £23 bit.ly/2M71ebw

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FE AT U R E

B E ST C LO S E D ROA D R I D E S Riding on closed roads remains a rare occurance in the UK but it’s always worth paying a premium for. Etape Loch Ness April 26 There are plenty of closed road sportive alternatives to the big obvious one in London — Etape Loch Ness is such an event. Starting and finishing in Inverness, the 66-mile-long Etape Loch Ness takes in 900 metres of climbing and the very best views across the famous loch. The route leaves Inverness and heads anti-clockwise around the loch. Midway through the event, the riders face the biggest challenge of the day, the 4.8-mile-long climb out of Fort Augustus. The climb is a timed King of the Mountains segment and reaches 12 per cent at points. Etape Caledonia May 17 The Etape Caledonia oﬀers another day out in Scotland on closed roads. The event happens way up north in the Scottish Highlands and takes the riders through the stunning scenery the area is known for.

Starting and finishing in Pitlochry, the route is challenging and consists of undulating terrain through deep forestlined roads around lochs Rannoch and Tummel. The highlight of the route is the twisting climb of Mt Schiehallion. The views from atop the five-mile climb are breathtaking and have to be seen to be believed. The shorter 40-mile route is also held on closed roads. Tour of Cambridgeshire Sportive June 5 The Tour of Cambridgeshire is run over one of the flattest counties in the country and is the high point of a weekend festival that includes a time trial, road race and the UK’s first Gran Fondo. The sportive takes in the same route as the race and includes challenges that will test the mettle of the competitive riders. Riders can also opt to enter the 50-mile and 70-mile events. It may not be the most challenging sportive this year, but the Tour of Cambridge Sportive is one of the most distinctive events out there and one of only a few chances to ride on fully closed roads.

Escape to the Dales North Yorkshire | June 28 50/64 miles | All £21 bit.ly/2S8xSO5 Bradwell Hillbilly Derbyshire | June 28 34/48 miles | £26/£28 bit.ly/2R XZHIN

July Droitwich Cycling Sunday Worcestershire | July 5 30/50/64 miles | All £7.50 bit.ly/2PtzMaa Isle of Man Lighthouses Challenge Douglas | July 5 26/56/103 miles £23/£28/£33 bit.ly/2S46xfI L’Etape UK Bucks | July 5

FE AT U R E

Dartmoor Legend Ultra Sportive Devon | July 25 201 miles | £100 bit.ly/2PUvOGr Kent Climber Lingfield | July 26 35/52/70 miles | £20/£25/£25 bit.ly/2EsRbcK

August

R I D E YO R K S H I R E North Yorkshire | August 9 38/81/101 miles | £35/£40/£40 Editor’s pick: Yorkshire remains one of our favourite places to ride, although we do sometimes have second thoughts as we grovel up the hills in the Yorkshire Dales. bit.ly/2YVr0EW SAVE 15% USING CODE: GREAT15

32/67/100 miles £44.50/£47/£49.50 bit.ly/2rUGOeY Struggle Moors Sportive York | July 5 93/112 miles All £49 bit.ly/2PYHEQ9 Ross Tiger 100 Grimsby | July 5 26/58/106 miles All £30 bit.ly/38KHFQ6 Redbourn Road Rider St Albans | July 5 25/50/85 miles | £15/£25/£25 bit.ly/36O2990 Stockton Sportive Durham | July 11 37/50/72/106 miles £22.50/£25/£27.50/£30 bit.ly/34zpdXb

North Lakes Loops Cumbria | July 11 31/66 miles | £20/£25 bit.ly/34uiRZs Mendips Sportive Somerset | July 12 36/74 miles | £25/£35 bit.ly/2PQn8Rw SAVE 15% USING CODE: GREAT15

Bostin’ Diablo Sportive Stoke-on-Trent | July 12 50/75/100 miles £21.60/£26.88/£32.15 bit.ly/2M4RuP2 The Flat 100 South Sportive Peterborough | July 12 22/61/105 miles | All £30 bit.ly/2sEQwT2 Wales in a Day Caernarfon | July 18

FE AT U R E

September Sussex Downs Classic Plumpton | September 5 40/76 miles | £25/£35 bit.ly/2rXpYw1 SAVE 15% USING CODE: GREAT15

Parsons Peddler Norwich | September 6 40/60/100 miles | £9/£11/£15 bit.ly/35s70MF Pace Powered by Struggle Wetherby | September 12 100 miles | £49 bit.ly/35A5wzS 5 Dales Sportive Richmond | September 12 60/86/119 miles £22.50/£27.50/£30 bit.ly/2RZwywC The Goose Eye Grimpeur Greater Manchester | September 13 72/100/124 miles | All £21 bit.ly/2rVXmmY Nelson’s Tour de Test Valley 2020 Andover | September 19

EDITOR’S PICK B OX H I L L O R I G I N A L Cranleigh | October 4 31/76/100 miles | £35/£40/£40 This ride has become the traditional end of year ride for the CW team, so come and say hello and pace us up some of the toughest climbs in the beautiful Surrey Hills. bit.ly/2S2ETzG SAVE 15% USING CODE: GREAT15

32 | January 16, 2020 | Cycling Weekly

25/50/100 miles | £26/£31/£36 bit.ly/2M07q5h New Forest 100 Hampshire September 19 30/60/100 miles £35/£40/£40 bit.ly/2EnAKyi SAVE 15% USING CODE: GREAT15

Cambrian Coast Sportive Gwynedd | September 19 31/62/89/101 miles | £25/£33/£37/£37 bit.ly/2sAQAD5 Along the Border Sportive Chester | September 20 35/50/80 miles | £22.50/£27.50/£30 bit.ly/2rNeI5D

Black Shuck Sportive Fakenham | September 26 10/30/60/90 miles £9.50/£15.50/£19.50/£23.50 bit.ly/2PSVu6y White Horse Sportive Middlesbrough | September 26 30/60/77 miles £20/£27.50/£30 bit.ly/36OPHpt Land’s End 100 Marazion | September 26 46/71/105 miles £25/£35/£35 www.landsend100.co.uk Dunoon Dirt Dash Argyll & Bute | September 26 81 miles | £85 bit.ly/2PU3bcG Gran Fondo Scotland Autumn Classic 2020 Falkirk | September 27

FE AT U R E 53/79 miles | All £36 bit.ly/2r2BeHb

REASONS TO RIDE 3

Autumn Classic Sportive Norfolk | October 18 8/25/50/75/100 miles | £9.50/ £15.50/£15.50/£15.50/£15.50 bit.ly/2M3mM9a

November Cycling Down Dementia Norfolk Fakenham | November 1 53/78 miles | £25/£35 bit.ly/2PYgTeo SAVE 15% USING CODE: GREAT15

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The Cumbrian Cracker Ambleside | November 22 57 miles | £25 bit.ly/2S0w7Cf

Riders of all levels, from seasoned racers to plucky amateurs, take part in these events, but why do they do it?

Get the miles in. If you’ve signed up for the CW 5,000 mile challenge, a few long sportives dotted throughout the year will really help you build your total — not just the event itself but the riding you’ll need to do in preparation.

Get fit. Taking part in sportives regularly will have a positive effect on your fitness, especially for those who might struggle to get out and ride as much as they’d like. Whether the aim is to shed some weight or ride faster for longer, having big rides in your diary will focus your mind and keep you motivated — essential when looking to improve fitness.

Explore a new area. Sportives are a great way to ride new roads without the risk of getting lost. With signposts and marshals there’s no risk of going astray and having to stop and check your phone or ask a local to ﬁnd out where you are.

Do your biggest ride. With support along the route, a big-distance sportive gives you the chance to get 100 miles or more in the legs, with less risk of blowing up or suffering a ride-ending mechanical. Up for 186 miles at the Dragon Ride, anyone? Practising your bunch skills. A sportive is a good way to practise group riding outside of a race. Once in the correctly paced bunch you can practise taking turns, group etiquette and hazard communication.

Cycling Weekly | January 16, 2020 | 33

M A K E T H I S YO U R B E ST Y E A R Y E T !

Cambridgeshire Classic Cambridgeshire

8 Mar

Wiltshire Wildcat Wiltshire

22 Mar

Suffolk Spring Classic Suffolk

29 Mar

Ridgeway Rouleur Oxfordshire

18 Apr

New Forest Spring & Cycling Festival Hants.

19 Apr

New Forest Spring & Cycling Festival Hants.

3 May

Surrey Cyclone Surrey

16 May

Jurassic Beast Dorset

30 May

Ride Cotswolds Gloucestershire

13 Jun

Vale Velo North Yorkshire

28 Jun

Peaks Tour Derbyshire

12 Jul

Mendips Sportive Somerset

25 Jul

Malvern Mad Hatter Worcestershire

9 Aug

Ride Yorkshire North Yorkshire

5 Sep

Sussex Downs Classic Sussex

19 Sep 4 Oct 17 Oct

New Forest 100 Hampshire Box Hill Original Surrey Cobbler Classic Northamptonshire

1 Nov

Cycling Down Dementia Norfolk Norfolk

7 Nov

Cycling Down Dementia South East Surrey

*Selected events only see event page for details

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20 STUNNING RIDES IN SCENIC LOCATIONS

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FE AT U R E

TESTING

TIMES Alex Dowsett tells Alex Ballinger about his highs and lows of the 2019 season

f you’ve ever ridden a time trial on one of Britain’s many out and back A-road courses you’ll know even a slight breeze can turn them into a race with two faces: floating one way, soul-crushing drudgery the other. It’s a feeling British time triallist Alex Dowsett knows only too well, but nothing could have prepared him for the extreme highs and lows of 2019. Dowsett clinched a sixth national TT title last year and fi nished fi fth in both the European Championships and the World Championships in Yorkshire. In the background though, he found himself in a bind. Contracted to Katusha until 2021, he was unable to secure a spot elsewhere as rumours that the team was in crisis persisted.

36 | January 16, 2020 | Cycling Weekly

“I’ve never had stress like it,” Dowsett says. “It’s not pleasant and I really hope it never happens again. “I’ve never felt so vulnerable in my job — if the team had folded as late as it possibly could have, it would have been far too late for me to fi nd anything at WorldTour level.” Trouble started in 2018, when Dowsett and his team-mates were told the outfit had struggled to fi nd sponsorship for 2019 and things got worse when their talisman, Marcel Kittel, announced his retirement, mid-season. Then at the Tour de France rumours began to circulate that German hair product company Alpecin and bike sponsor Canyon would be taking their investment elsewhere. While riders out of contract were given the green light to explore

FE AT U R E

Dowsett began to salvage his season with a sixth Nationals win

opportunities with other teams, a handful of riders including Dowsett still had contracts with Katusha-Alpecin and weren’t free to look for new contracts despite the team facing closure. “We were asking around and everywhere was full,” Dowsett says. “We were told by the team, ‘You have a contract, you have to respect it.’ We talked to other teams anyway, we were trying to say to teams, ‘Is there interest in Dowsett?’ and a few teams said, ‘Yep, is he available?’ but we didn’t know.” Then in early October, Professional Continental outfit Israel Cycling Academy announced they had taken over Katusha-Alpecin’s WorldTour licence and the two teams would be merging. Dowsett began talks with Israel Cycling Academy team manager Kjell Carlstrom around the start of the Worlds in Yorkshire, cementing his place on the team with his storming ride in the TT. “For me, I simply went across with the merger and I think the Worlds consolidated why I belong here, or why I’ll be of use,” he says. “Sometimes my role can be overlooked when I’m leading out for a sprinter who’s had a rough year, like Marcel. You do a lot of work for no result, but the result is often reflective of the work that’s been put in and if there’s no result it can reflect badly on the team.” During these diﬃcult times, Dowsett had been putting in some of his best performances on the TT bike, starting with the National Time Trial Champs in Norfolk, where he was pushed hard by John Archibald (Ribble Pro Cycling), with Dowsett taking victory by six seconds after Archibald dropped a chain. Dowsett explains: “The Nationals was a shock and I got into a bit of hot water for saying that Dan Bigham and John Archibald lacked some grunt. I never meant it oﬀensively. “Those boys have changed the game and it’s admirable. John’s a hell of a bike

High flier “I moved to altitude and I think that’s helped,” he says. “I think the change of scenery has helped. My numbers have been consistent, I’ve had less bad days.” Looking ahead to the new season with Israel Start-Up Nation, as Israel Cycling Academy has rebranded, Dowsett is excited about the prospect of handpicking kit to improve his TT. He says: “What has impressed me so far with Israel is the willingness to choose the equipment that’s fastest and if something isn’t good enough they seem very willing to either make sure it is good enough or find something else that is. “I asked Kjell if I can use Speedplay pedals. I used them in 2010 and there’s clear evidence for them being quick. He simply said, ‘If that’s what you want to use because it’s quicker then you can use it.’ “One of the sponsors also has access to a wind tunnel.” Dowsett is the front-runner to represent GB in the time trial in the Tokyo Olympics this summer, a prospect that he is relishing: “With Team GB we did a lot of work before the Worlds. Having the full support of Team GB is quite phenomenal. I’ve ticked a lot of boxes in my career so far but the Olympics was one I thought was going to elude me. It still could, obviously. However, it could be back on the table and that’s a really exciting prospect. “The Olympics for Great Britain is huge and I’d kill to be there. But being British, you don’t go to the Olympics just to ride round, you go there because you can medal.” But this does mean Dowsett will have to delay another of his ambitions — a tilt at the Hour record he once held? “It’s been on hold for a long time,” he says. “Here I’ve got to find my feet first, but ultimately the Olympics is once every four years so that has my full focus.” On his prospects for 2020, Dowsett echoes the sentiments of every good time triallist: “There’s always more gains.”

Photo Andy Jones

“I’ve never had stress like it — I hope it never happens again”

rider and you saw the way they rode at the Worlds. They punch so far above their weight.” But Dowsett believes the biggest factor in his improved performance is a move to Andorra in the Pyrenees.

Cycling Weekly | January 16, 2020 | 37

FROM THE ARCHIVE

Amateur World Championship road race August 25, 1956

ne of the latter groups crosses the line of the Amateur World Championship road race at Ballerup in Denmark. In the centre of these pages, one down from the top, is Harry Reynolds, one of the members of the British squad. Reynolds (No.40) wouldn’t really be a factor in the race; he was lapped on lap 12 of the 15-lap race and was already 10 seconds behind the main group when he suffered a puncture on lap five that effectively ended any chance of him helping Britain’s leader, Alan Jackson. Jackson had been towards the front of the race, which had been held in extremely chilly and windy conditions on the exposed roads. “The flags are out straight,” Cycling reported. Jackson was one of a few riders remaining to try and contest the eventual sprint finish but “he had nothing left”. It was won by Dutchman Frans Mahn, who held off a late charge by Belgian Norbert Verougstraete to claim the rainbow bands.

Photo Cycling Weekly archive

38 | January 16, 2020 | Cycling Weekly

Cycling Weekly | January 16, 2020 | 39

TECH INDOOR RIDING APPAREL

Do we need indoor cycling clothing or is it just a gimmick? Michelle Arthurs-Brennan reports on a new line of riding finery, and whether or not we need it

n the past few years, indoor cycling has been transformed — from a means to an end that was only mildly more preferable to watching paint dry, to an entertaining form of exercise and a racing genre in its own right. Like any emerging trend, this has resulted in an explosion of products available to enhance the experience — including an influx of indoor cycling-specific clothing. The most recent brand to join the party was Rapha, with a sleeveless technical T-shirt, vented ‘indoor training cap’, alongside the existing Cargo waist shorts. Back in 2018 Madison launched its men’s turbo bibshorts and jersey — both garments feature fast wicking fabrics, with antibacterial properties, and the chamois has been specifically designed with indoor training in mind. Claiming to be first on the scene was The Suﬀerfest, with the ‘SUF Indoor Cycling shirt’ — a loose-fitting technical top. Founder David McQuillen told us: “Since keeping cool is critical to performing at your best, we created our SUF Indoor Cycling

shirt as a super-lightweight, loose and comfortable garment that keeps you cool even when you’re working hard.” So, do we really need indoor cycling clothing, or is it all a gimmick? And with brands sending mixed messages, what is actually required in a turbo garment? Former lead physiotherapist at British Cycling, Phil Burt, believes there’s certainly a place in cycling for indoor training kit. The expert bike fitter at the eponymous Phil Burt Innovation says that the number one consideration in a piece of kit created for the turbo is the chamois. “You haven’t got air flowing over you to help with heat management, and the forces involved are diﬀerent to outdoor cycling — you’re sitting in a static position so have a lot more saddle contact time and increased friction. “The chamois needs to get moisture away from the skin. It doesn’t necessarily need to get sweat out of the chamois — the pad can be heavy and wet after sessions as long as your skin is dry. There are amazing ways you can layer your foam, and you can include channels to get sweat away from the skin too.”

“You’re less likely to get out of the saddle”

T H E F I N A L SAY NO Rosamund Bradbury, national e-racing champion “I think the most important thing is that your kit keeps you cool. I don’t ﬁnd I need an indoor-speciﬁc chamois, but I think I do move around a fair bit even indoors, otherwise it’s just uncomfortable.” 40 | January 16, 2020 | Cycling Weekly

YES Phil Burt, bike ﬁtter at Phil Burt Innovation “If you allow the area to get hot and wet and apply pressure, you’ve got a recipe for a certain type of saddle sore. Indoor cycling clothing, if it evolves, will help some people out.”

Thoughtfully designed garments could be a real boon for turbo users

Riding indoors, you’re much less likely to get out of the saddle — you might not do so at all if you’re a fan of training on rollers. “The chamois you use when training indoors needs to manage pressure well. You want a pad that doesn’t bottom out completely when you’re loading it for a sustained amount of time, because then the skin and soft tissue will take that pressure.” Discussing Madison’s turbo bibshort, with its specifically designed pad, apparel designer Rachel Preston said: “Indoor turbo training sessions get much warmer than outdoor rides due to the lack of natural airflow. Sessions are usually short — 30 to 60 minutes — but we did find that our riders would shuffle around a lot in their saddles. As a result we selected a pad that offered fantastic moisture management, and had really good elasticity to accommodate the continual position adjustments between different types of riding efforts.” Burt recommends increasing the comfort of your indoor sessions by training in a well-ventilated room, enlisting the support

HOT KIT

B ollé Ch ron os hield 2 glasses from £1 45

of a good quality fan, as well as using bibshorts, like those I’d wear outside. chamois cream before and after sessions to Then obviously because you’ve got “let the skin recover”. everything with you, you don’t need a Heat dissipation elsewhere is important, normal cycling top. I tend to wear the too, and this can be achieved by using a stuff we had when I was rowing — we lightweight or mesh fabric. called them ‘tea rags’ — but they’re base “Your quads are a big surface area of skin layers made from a mesh fabric.” where your body is looking to get rid of Having taken the national e-racing title heat; that’s why they go so red when you’re in March 2019, Bradbury is eyeing the hot. You really just want a mesh fabric there; World Championship scheduled this allows for heat dissipation and there’s for 2020, though taking it “step by no need for much else.” step,” noting that the pool of riders It’s fair to say that experimenting with not everyone is on indoor racing is W E S AY board with the ever growing. A quick poll in the CW office concept yet. British It’s likely the reveals that none of us is using Cycling national range of indoor indoor-specific kit yet. The e-racing champion, cycling clothing most important thing is you’re Rosamund Bradbury, options will grow well-ventilated and the chamois told Cycling Weekly in the coming that she’s yet to invest. is providing you with enough months and years, cushioning for the efforts you’re The former British but it remains to be doing. Some riders will find rower explained: “To seen if top athletes they’re able to meet these needs be honest, when like Bradbury will in their standard kit — but if you training indoors I become adopters are experiencing discomfort, the wear normal cycling themselves.

features to make them incredibly comfortable to wear. Flexible rubber inside the temples increases the area of contact with the skin, ensuring the best hold and almost custom adaptation to the face. The nosepiece is also adjustable in terms of shape and angle to accommodate any nose shape. As a tribute to the original, a removable foam padded brow bar is also included to increase comfort. The new Chronoshield 2 is available in a number of different frame colours and lens options including Bollé’s Phantom photochromic lens. Q £145 with standard lens, £215 with Phantom photochromic lens, www.bolle.com

Photos Daniel Gould

Bollé has resurrected one of its most iconic eyewear shapes and relaunched it for 2020. The original Chronoshield can trace its history back to 1986 and had a design inspired by Bollé’s best-selling Chrono ski goggle. As the trend for larger eyewear has increased over the last couple of years so it became ripe for Bollé to revamp one of the originators. The new Chronoshield 2 leaves no doubt as to where its inspiration comes from but Bollé has given it a not so subtle revamp to bring it more up to date. It beneﬁts from a lightweight and durable frame featuring clever

indoor ranges may be your answer. Cycling Weekly | January 16, 2020 | 41

TECH TESTED

Latest products James Bracey rides and rates three new releases

Fizik Tempo Argo R1 £179.99 The Tempo is part of Fizik’s new Argo range of saddles that can be Weight identified thanks to a short nose and squat profile. The Tempo version is aimed at those seeking comfort on long rides, with more padding and a squared-off nose. The R1 model combines a flexible carbon composite base with 9mm oval carbon-fibre rails. Padding is slightly thicker around the sit bone area to support a more upright riding posture and it’s softer and more progressive than the type Fizik uses on its racing saddles. Set-up is pretty straightforward but as with many short-nosed saddles you will need to measure from the rails rather than the nose to position it correctly if moving from a standard-style saddle. The Tempo Argo really does lock you effectively into one position. If you are a serial fidgeter you might find it a bit of a battle at first, but as a bit of a static rider I felt immediately at home. Thicker padding, a large cut-out and great shape make it feel like you are enveloped in a nether-region protecting bubble. Size: 150mm, 160mm Contact: fizik.com

197g

Exposure Trace & TraceR

£85

The Trace and TraceR lights are the smallest The tiny units use clips and rubber O-rings to and most featherweight units Exposure mount them to the handlebar and seatpost. Weight produces, but they pack a punch. The seatpost mount will easily accommodate Emitting 110 and 75 lumens an aero post, but it can spin off line when each respectively, clever lens technology used with angled or square seatposts. means Exposure has been able to make this Charging is via a USB port, located under the output seem far superior. rubber band that encircles the light, and takes 1.5 The beam pattern and visibility for both lights hours from empty, with battery life lasting three to are exceptional and both have an extended lens, 24 hours. providing side visibility. Remaining battery level is Front output: 110 lumens indicated via a green, amber or red LED when the Rear output: 75 lumens light is turned off. Contact: exposurelights.com

78g

42 | January 16, 2020 | Cycling Weekly

MET Vinci MIPS

£100

Taking its design cues from the top-end Trenta, The helmet uses MET’s Safe-T Duo fit the MET Vinci MIPS, the latest helmet system, which offers four positions of Weight launched by the company, sits well vertical adjustment, and I experienced below its older sibling, costing £100. no discomfort or numbing. Its design is clearly similar to the topThe retention dial offers a good level end Trenta, albeit a bit more boxy. It has 16 of adjustment, although it’s not quite as vents and much like the Trenta, the Vinci MIPS fine-tunable as the top-end Trenta. It’s also has internal channels to help push air over the possible to attach a light (sold separately) on top of the head. the adjustment dial. Two of the vents act as a glasses port, It’s nice to see MET include MIPS and offer a although they’re not as stable as if you had a touch more protection. dedicated, moulded glasses vent. I’ve often highly rated MET helmets and the As is common with MET’s helmets, the MET Vinci MIPS is no different. Vinci MIPS does come up quite small — I Available in five colours, it’s a great opted for a medium where I tend to fit a option at the £100 helmet bracket. small in other brands. Contact: met-helmets.com

265g

Cycling Weekly | January 16, 2020 | 43

FITNESS

2019 YO U R YEAR IN NUMBERS As we challenge CW readers to ride 5,000 miles in 2020, David Bradford speaks to five mile-munching amateurs about their amazing 2019 totals

44 | January 16, 2020 | Cycling Weekly

FITNESS

Cycling Weekly | January 16, 2020 | 45

FITNESS felt like a chore; commuting puts you in a good frame of mind. It was my first full year in my job as a Network Rail signaller. I took a pay cut for this job because I knew it would allow me to cycle more. And it worked out: I cycled to work all year, recording my biggest ever mileage. Proudest achievement of the year? Nearly doubling my mileage. I’ve driven to work only six or seven times, either because the bike was broken or the roads were really icy. If I couldn’t get to work, the consequence would be cancelled trains.

Photos James Vincent, Andy Jones, MaindruPhoto & Sportograf

How would you sum up 2019? Definitely my best year so far. It would be hard to top it. Going to work hasn’t ever

46 | January 16, 2020 | Cycling Weekly

319 Active days

14,006 Total distance (miles)

IAIN ROBINSON’S RIDE NUMBERS

789,547 Total elevation (feet)

757 Total time (hours)

miles)

If Iain Robinson didn’t get to work on time, the consequences could be dire — he’s a railway signalman. Hats oﬀ to him, then, for putting in 14,000 commuting miles during 2019 without delaying a single train!

ide

( 12 6

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IAIN ROBINSON

Robinson kept his riding on track to record his biggest year

Lo n g e

TH E COMMIT TED COMMUTER

Any other stand-out rides? We went on a cycling holiday in Portugal, all of us on bikes, including the eight- and

Lessons learnt in 2019? The biggest thing I’ve learnt is not trying to stay dry. When I first started out, I thought I needed to stay dry, layering up as much as possible, but I’ve got rid of that mentality. Now I think, if I get wet, I get wet. Keeping warm is what matters; as long as I’m warm, I’m OK. As a result, some of my nicest commutes recently have been in the rain. I’ve become very good at cleaning my bike too!

eaching the end of the year has a special significance for cyclists. Not only are we just over the hurdle of the shortest day and beginning to assemble our hopes and ambitions for spring, it’s also a time to reflect on the year just passed — specifically on our total mileage. Did you hit your target? Which rides remain most lucid in your mind? And what can you learn from your fitness progress as correlated against your training miles? Here, we seek inspiration from five amateur riders who each had a bumper year in the saddle despite juggling the myriad responsibilities of full-time work and family life.

Most memorable ride? It was a great ride home from work, taking the long way, out towards Keswick with a lap of Derwentwater before heading back to Carlisle. I also remember a good ride in the summer, after dropping the kids oﬀ to school, from Carlisle up into the Scottish borders and down past the Kagyu Samye Ling Buddhist monastery, which was 119 miles in all; that was probably the most enjoyable ride of the year.

five-year-old — four days cycling around the Algarve; that was nice. This year, we’re planning a bikepacking trip from Carlisle to the Isle of Man.

FITNESS Plans for 2020? The biggest thing this year will be trying to beat 2019’s mileage. If everything stayed the same, I’d probably be able to match it, but I don’t see where any extra time is coming from. I’d also like to explore a bit more out into Cumbria and the North Pennines — I’m happy to go further afield now that my fitness has improved.

Targeting the Maratona gran fondo last July led Liam Brannon to rack up a million feet of climbing and 10,000 miles over the course of the year. Little wonder, therefore, that he smashed his target time and took his fitness to new heights.

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1 m il e s)

LIAM BRANNON’S RIDE NUMBERS

in s

10,682 Total distance (miles)

Active days

How would you sum up 2019? It was comfortably my biggest year so far. That hadn’t been my ambition, but because I was racking up training miles for the Maratona dles Dolomites, I got to the point of realising I could go over 10,000 miles and so pushed on to achieve it. Likewise, reaching a million feet of climbing was not a target to begin with but became one as the year progressed.

Lo n g e

1,077,906 Total elevation (feet)

754 Total time (hours) Brannon took his climbing legs to the Italian Dolomites

Proudest achievement of the year? The Maratona would have to be the big one, finishing in just over six hours, but I also went to Cyprus in May and rode to the top of Mount Olympus, which was a cracking day out. My year was based around the Maratona, and it was such a brilliant event and definitely my highlight.

including Buttertubs Pass and Fleet Moss. The weather was really good, and it was a really lovely day on the bike — that’s the stand-out of my British rides.

Most memorable ride? I remember a particular ride in late August, where I went into the Yorkshire Dales and did a lot of the famous climbs

A million feet of climbing — you must really like riding uphill? I’m only a short bloke, 5ft 7in, and quite light at 9st 4lb, so I’m naturally built for

“Reaching a million feet was not a target — but it became one” climbing. Where I live, on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales, you can’t really go anywhere without climbing. Besides, in my training for the Maratona, I had no choice but to target the hills. Lessons learnt in 2019? I was fortunate in having no setbacks and no injuries at all. My main lesson came Cycling Weekly | January 16, 2020 | 47

FITNESS from how well I did in the Maratona. Going into it, my main aim was to break seven hours, so to do six hours 10 minutes was pretty incredible. It was beyond my own expectations, and has given me confidence to aim higher.

was pretty incredible and unexpected. I finished the year on 22,618 miles — the most ever by a woman member of Audax UK. Because we’d had such an incredibly mild winter, I decided to give it a go, and it worked out.

Plans for 2020? I hope to ride the Fred Whitton, if I can get a place. If not, I will do the Etape du Dales or another big UK sportive. I’ll be honest, I don’t think I’m going to do 10,000 miles again. I was so focused on the Maratona last year, but I’m not sure I’ll reach that sort of mileage again.

How did you fit in so many miles around your job? Mainly by riding to work via the indirect route — my commute over the summer was 100km a day. Riding brevets made a really big diﬀerence too: I rode three 1,200km and a 1,000km brevet this year — a very eﬃcient way of collecting high miles.

RANDONNEUR NE P L U S U LT R A

Despite being diagnosed with a serious autoimmune condition the previous year, Judith Swallow went full steam ahead into 2019 — and ended up breaking the Audax UK record for most miles ever ridden by a woman in a single year.

There must have been sacrifices? Yes, they became more nagging as the year progressed: the garden has become very neglected, and I haven’t made much progress with my embroidery! I began to feel a need for more balance, but you can’t have it all ways.

Proudest ide achievement 19 hr of the year? The RandonActive days nee Imperator, which Total distance (miles) was a 660km J U DITH SWALLOW’S brevet RIDE NUMBERS through Germany and Italy Total elevation (feet) with a lot of dirt tracks Total time (hours) and oﬀ-road trails. Over 100 people started but only about 50 finished within the 43-hour cutoﬀ. On the first day, it threw it down with the most evil rain; and if you thought day one was bad, day two had worse in store: humongous wind that ripped trees apart — we had to thread bikes through trees! Goat trails, Lo n g e

321

iles)

48 | January 16, 2020 | Cycling Weekly

691,165 1,750

Swallow rode long haul last year

.54

22,618

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48 (2

How would you sum up 2019? Given that we’ve been trying to treat my vasculitis [inflammation of blood vessels, diagnosed in 2018], it

Most memorable ride? The Hound Dog 1,200km in Texas, just four weeks after being so sick I’d been seen as an emergency outpatient. It was another brevet with a success rate of only about 50 per cent, owing to the incredible heat — 47ºC degrees during the day. The wind was tremendous as we ploughed from Texas into Oklahoma, with manic dogs chasing us! Somehow, it all came together.

“My commute over the summer was 100km a day”

tree debris, hub-height water... I got to the finish thinking, how have I managed this?

Lessons learnt in 2019? I certainly learned how to manage the vasculitis — an autoimmune disease that has attacked my nervous system, causing drop foot and rheumatoid arthritis in my hands. It’s meant learning to cope in the heat, stopping for ice or shade, and giving myself proper breaks. A lot of people with this condition would sit on the sofa and not do anything, so for me it’s been about not being frightened to give it a go. Plans for 2020? I already have a few things sketched in: Paris-Brest-Paris Audax, the Great Southern randonnée in Australia, and I’ll probably do another 1,200km in Canada, as well as a 600km Audax in France.

Twenty-six-year-old James Ward has been riding seriously for seven years, racking up big miles every year and keeping super-fit. He decided not to race in 2019, and instead to “mix things up” by taking part in a variety of fun events to replenish his motivation before returning to racing in 2020.

FITNESS

M I LEAG E COM PARI SO N

Elite totals Rebecca Durrell: 10,905 miles CAMS-Tifosi rider Rebecca Durrell racked up nearly 11,000 miles on her way to winning the National Road Series. "The 2019 season was a pretty good one! Mainly domestic road and crit racing but also some UCI races mixed in — leading to a total mileage 1,400 higher than my previous two years,” she says. Ian Field: 10,550 miles Six-time British cyclo-cross champion Ian Field racked up 17,000km over the course of 2019. “Last year’s total is slightly less than the previous couple of years, as I’ve been putting a bit more emphasis on gym work and running — more conducive with the wet winter we’ve been having.”

Lo n g e

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2 miles)

JAMES WARD’S RIDE NUMBERS

(2 0

Total distance (miles)

15,265

Active days

r 42

351

11 h

1,012,293 Total elevation (feet)

875 Total time (hours) Ward rode a mixed bag of mileage in 2019 Cycling Weekly | January 16, 2020 | 49

FITNESS Time triallist Ainsworth is the king of his age category

Lo n g e

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in s

KEITH AINSWORTHâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S RIDE NUMBERS

270,318 Total elevation (feet)

440 Total time (hours) 50 | January 16, 2020 | Cycling Weekly

) 6 m il e s

Total distance (miles)

( 10

7,633

Active days

252

FITNESS How would you sum up 2019? It was a really good year. I always do massive mileage, so the total numbers didn’t matter to me. It was about doing diﬀerent things aside from racing: I did Dirty Reiver [200km gravel sportive] at the start of the year, and a three-day race to Paris with the Hot Chillee guys, as well as a random, ridiculous sportive called True Grit on the North York Moors. I sneaked in lots of things without having to think too seriously about the planning. Proudest achievement of the year? I wasn’t racing this year, so that’s a tough one, but I think it would be the London to Paris event: as a team, we won everything — GC, sprint and hill-climb competitions. It was a pretty sweet 500k in three days. Most memorable ride? RideLondon was cracking, as I was going for one of those sub-four-hour times that everyone wants. I was in a super-fast group that included some of the WigginsLe Col lads, so it ended up being a bit like a Nat-B race — just nuts for four hours, then everyone trying to take a dig at each other in the last 10 miles. We were finished by 10am, in three hours 53 minutes. Any other stand-out rides? Yeah, riding up to the lighthouse in Majorca just as a massive thunderstorm struck. It was the four of us — me, Dan and Jess Evans and [cycling chef] Alan Murchison — and we got inside the lighthouse as it absolutely bombed it down. We had to tiptoe back down to the resort while trying not to get blown oﬀ our bikes.

Plans for 2020? I’ll be getting stuck in to racing again, aiming to earn my Cat 2 licence — Cat 1 probably wouldn’t be realistic, given I’m sitting at a desk for seven hours a day. I’d like to do some National B races and just have fun without stress — bearing in mind, I’m not trying to be a pro.

Veteran racer Keith Ainsworth got into cycling in his early 50s, having been an elite runner in his younger days. Now, a decade on, he’s a fearsomely fast time triallist, thrashing competitive riders young enough to be his kids while being virtually untouchable among his peers. In 2019, he set national age records at 10, 15, 25 and 50 miles.

Lessons learnt in 2019? Generally, I developed more confidence in my ability to go into the red and sustain it. The other big one was gaining confidence that I can knock out really top-notch times even in adverse weather conditions. Plans for 2020? Just to progress as I have been really. My targets are National Championships — I have got my eye on those big competitions because one day I will knock racing on the head. I’d love to break 19 minutes for 10 miles, and I know I can because my PB is quite old. NOTE: Ainsworth’s stats do not include indoor training. He also did 110 indoor sessions averaging 70min per session.

How would you sum up 2019? It’s hard to sum up. Time-wise, it wasn’t the best year because of the weather. I definitely think I improved over 2018. I won the National Vets 10 in my age group and was second overall in the race. In the ‘full fat’ RTTC Nationals, I was 28th overall in the open race and won my age category.

“I sneaked in lots without thinking too seriously about the planning”

Lessons learnt in 2019? Less is more. It’s not all about going out and smashing yourself to pieces. I probably got fitter this year, by doing a better mix of stuﬀ, than always going out and hammering myself into the ground. If you’re enjoying it, you are typically faster because it’s not dragging on your head.

my age category as well as being quickest in the two age categories below mine.

Proudest achievement of the year? Breaking 50 minutes three times for 25 miles in adverse conditions, that’s what I’m pleased about. When I first started racing, I used to admire the guys who raced in adverse conditions but still banged out good times. I’ve joined them now. Any other memorable rides? I did two 10s, both in outrageously bad conditions, on the E2 at Newmarket, and in both of them broke 20 minutes. The best one was the RTTC 10, where I won

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Cycling Weekly | January 16, 2020 | 51

MY FITNESS CHALLENGE

Traf fic lig ht s p rint s t o co nt i n e nt a l m a rat h o n s Emily Chappell explains how she conquered the Transcontinental without ever training for it â&#x20AC;&#x201D; riding all hours was simply her way of life

enough to require sleep stops, I noticed sharing the road with other cyclists. My that I had relatively little trouble getting fears that these tall, Lycra-clad men would myself back on the bike after a few hours look down on me, or leave me for dust the in a hedge or hostel. moment we got started, soon proved Not that it was ever fun, forcing stiff groundless. They welcomed me into the limbs to start pedalling and shivering group, cheered me on when I beat most of through the pre-dawn chills. But to me them up the first hill, and nudged me there never seemed to be any other choice towards the fast group when the bunch than to get back in the saddle and keep split at the top. I was a stronger cyclist going — unlike some of my fellow than I had realised — partly, I’m sure, Audaxers, who would occasionally give up, down to those daily traffic light sprints; sleep longer and then take a shorter route partly, no doubt, because my years of home, or carry on cycling but complain stop-start riding around London on a theatrically about the 48x18 fixed gear had built hardship of it all. up the muscle in my thighs R E A D A L L Perhaps, I thought, this and calves, gradually ABOUT IT was because cycling had increasing my power even Emily Chappell tells the full ceased to be a choice or a as I was unaware of it. story of her Transcontinental decision when I was The start of the race drew adventures in her new book couriering. I was used to nigh, and as I waited in Where There’s a Will, pedalling through Geraardsbergen, published by Profile Books exhaustion, hangovers, surrounded by nervous and available now. injuries, period pain, bad men in Lycra (most of weather and crises of whom had trained confidence, because this alongside full-time jobs, was how I made my living, building up fitness on their and if I wanted to keep my commute, and endurance job — and pay my rent — I with longer rides at the had to keep riding. I was weekend), I found my own already practised in the tension ebbing away. Soon endurance rider’s art of enough, I told myself, I ignoring the body’s would be on my bike, riding complaints, or gently into the night as the clock cajoling it into continuing, struck midnight, and mindful that better times there was nowhere I felt lay just up the road. more comfortable. I had barely ever ridden In 2011, I’d completed an with other people (except 18-month odyssey from for occasionally chasing Wales to Japan, which had roadies away from the lights during the accustomed me psychologically to the morning rush hour), so in the run-up to rhythms and habits of long-distance the Transcontinental I decided to go out touring, of following an unknown road with a local club, to get myself used to into an unfamiliar country, and trusting that all would be well wherever I went. It always had been, and I knew it would be now. ‘SHE WAS STRONGER THAN SHE BELIEVED’ I didn’t finish the Transcontinental that Legendary ultra-cyclist Juliana Buhring London to Edinburgh together. Emily first time in 2015, but I had the time of my flew up the climbs, clearly had huge recalls her first meeting with Emily Chappell: life, and the moment I withdrew from the “I first met Emily over some beers at a pub in aerobic capacity, and seemed encouraged race I knew I’d be back the next year, for a to realise she was stronger than she London. The previous summer, I had been longer taste of this wonderful new had believed. the only woman to compete in the inaugural adventure, for which, unbeknown to me, “When she was the first woman finisher Transcontinental Race and was eager to get the challenges of couriering and longmore women involved. Emily was interested, in the following year’s Transcontinental, I distance touring had been shaping me over was not in the least surprised. More than but hesitant: ‘I’m not physically strong many years. The following summer, I was having the lungs and legs, Emily has always enough. I’ve never raced before…’ the first woman to finish, in 13 days, 10 had the heart of an ultra cyclist.” “Shortly after this meeting, we rode from hours and 28 minutes.

Photo Jesse Wild

eople roll their eyes when I tell them I didn’t really train for the Transcontinental. But I’m not sandbagging, I hastily protest. I’ll admit that I ride my bike every day, and probably cover more miles per year than most other non-professional cyclists, though I’ve never logged them. But I don’t follow a training plan. I’ve never done intervals, and when people talk about watts, the first thing I think of is a lightbulb. I’m still not completely sure what motivated me to sign up for the Transcontinental Race in 2015. I do know that when I received the email telling me I’d got a place, my initial delight was quickly drowned out by a tidal wave of fear. What was I thinking? I had worked as a courier, and toured across Asia a couple of years previously, but I had never entered a race before, and this one was 4,000km, starting on Belgian cobbles and ending beside the Bosphorus in Turkey. I’d have to plan a route and navigate between four checkpoints (all of them in diﬃcult-toreach places, like the summit of Mont Ventoux), and all outside assistance was forbidden. Which was fine by me, because no one I knew even understood why I wanted to bikepack my way across continents, much less wanted to follow me in a support car. It was only when I started upping my distances in the months before the race (alarmed by the ‘interval sessions’ other racers reported on social media) that it occurred to me I wasn’t unprepared after all. I didn’t think my years of working as a cycle courier had given me much more than callused palms and a detailed knowledge of London’s shortcuts and loading bays, but as my rides became long

Cycling Weekly | January 16, 2020 | 53

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R AC I N G R E S U LT S

CYCLO CROSS S AT U R DAY, J A N U A RY 1 1 Cyclo-cross National Championships (Shrewsbury Sports Village, Shropshire) Elite Men: 1. Thomas Pidcock (Trinity Racing) 7 laps in 59.19; 2. B. Tulett (Corendon-Circus) +2.04; 3. C. Mason (Trinity Racing) +2.15; 4. Ben Turner (Creafin-Fristads) +2.33; 5. T. Mein (TartelettoIsorex) +3.58; 6. L. Askey (Equipe Cycliste Continentale) +5.23; 7. S. Flynn (Team Inspired) +5.48; 8. I. Field (Neon-Velo Cycling Team) +6.20; 9. G. Drake (Wheelbase CabTech Castelli) +7.10; 10. L. Craven (Wheelbase CabTech Castelli) +7.18. Elite women: 1. Harriet Harnden (T-Mo Racing) 4 laps in 42.06; 2. B. Crumpton (Tarteletto – Isorex) +0.14; 3. A. Kay (Experza Pro CX) +1.25; 4. A. Parkinson (Trinity Racing) +2.02; 5. A. Mellor (Albion Cycling Co) +2.22; 6. K. Eedy (Team Empella Cyclo-Cross.com) +2.46; 7. F. James (Hope Factory Racing) +3.04; 8. C. Wejak (Team Jadan Weldtite Vive le Velo) +3.19; A. Perryman (Montezuma’s Hargroves RT) +3.45; A. Baker (Team Empella Cyclo-Corss.com) +4.30. Under-23 men: 1. Ben Tulett (Corendon-Circus) 7 laps in 1.01.23; 2. C. Mason (Trinity Racing) +0.11; 3. B. Turner (Creafin-Fristads) +0.29; 4. T. Mein (Tarteletto – Isorex) +1.54; 5. L. Askey (Equipe Cycliste Continentale) +3.19; 6. S. Flynn (Team Inspired) +3.44. Under-23 women: 1. Harriet Harnden (T-Mo Racing) 4 laps in 42.06; 2. A. Kay (Experza Pro CX) +1.25; 3. A. Perryman (Montezuma’s Hargroves RT) +3.45; 4. A. Baker (Team Empella Cyclo-Cross.com) +4.30; 5. S. Thackray (Scott Racing) +4.54; 6. X. Crees (Team Empella (Cyclo-Cross.com) +5.41. Junior men: 1. Rory McGuire (Leslie Bike Shop Bikers Boutique) 5 laps in 42.12; 2. O. Stockwell (Team Flamme Rouge P/B Grenade) +0.41; 3. C. Carrick-Anderson (Peebles CC) +1.45; 4. J. Kiely (Welwyn Wheelers CC) +1.54; 5. S. Wyllie (Halesowen A & CC) +2.00; 6. B. Chilton (Derby Mercury RC) +2.30. Junior women: 1. Millie Couzens (PH-MAS/Paul Milnes Cycles) 4 laps in 38.26; 2. J. Nelson (Cero-Cycle Division RT) +1.10; 3. A. Flynn (Edinburgh RC) +2.21; 4. M. Wadsworth (Beeline Bicycles RT) +4.09; 5. L. Mansfield (Cero-Cycle Division RT) +5.38; 6. I. Chastell (Cycle Team OnForm) +5.54. V40 men: 1. Lewis Craven (Wheelbase CabTech Castelli) 6 laps in 45.18; 2. A. Lansley (Pedalon.co. uk) +1.49; 3. R. Jebb (Hope Factory Racing) +2.20; 4. T. Fawcett (Scott Racing); 5. A. Forrester (Zepnat.

com RT Lazer Helmets) 6. A. Taylor (C&N Cycles RT). V50 men: 1. Nicholas Craig (Scott Racing) 5 laps in 37.03; 2. D. Atkins (Zannata Ride Coventry) +0.26; 3. P. Middleton (Zepnat.com RT Lazer Helmets) +0.50; 4. M. James (Dream Cycling) +2.17; 5. T. Davies (CC Abergavenny) +3.13; 6. A. Peace (Shibden Cycling Club) +3.23. V60 men: 1. Dave McMullen (Cotswold Veldrijden) 4 laps in 34.36; 2. R. Hunt (Team Kinesis UK) +0.06; 3. P. Harris (Peace Cycles RT) +0.09; 4. K. Bennett (Team Jewson MI Racing) +0.18; 5. M. Davies (Pedal Power Loughborough) +0.25; 6. M. Cross (Velo Club Venta) +0.29. Veteran women: 1. Kate Eedy (Team Empella Cyclo-Cross.com) 5 laps in 44.20; 2. T. Moseley (T-Mo Racing) +2.30; 3. V. Appleyard (Brotherton Cycles) +3.05; 4. H. Pattinson (Montezuma’s Hargroves RT) +3.07; 5. L. Siddle (Allen Valley Velo) +5.12; 6. M. Sennema (Paceline RT) +6.16. Under-16 male: 1. Max Greensill (Hope Factory Racing) 4 laps in 31.32; 2. H. Buck Jones (Marsh Tracks Racing-Trek) +0.40; 3. B. Askey (Backstedt Cycling) +0.45; 4. E. Woodliffe (Welwyn Wheelers CC) +0.56; 5. C. Laborde (Iceni Velo) +1.21; 6. N. Smith (Birkenhead North End CC) +1.33. Under-16 female: 1. Zoe Backstedt (Storey Racing) 4 laps in 34.57; 2. E. Maclean-Howell (Cardiff Jif) +1.03; 3. E. Carrick-Anderson +1.58; 4. N. Murphy (Costswold Veldrijden) +2.57; 5. L. Bell (Leicester Forest CC) +4.07; 6. E. Mckinnon (Derwentside CC) +4.16. Under-14 male: 1. Sebastian Grindley (North Cheshire Clarion) 4 laps in 34.42; 2. B. Coppola (Hillingdon Slipstreamers) +0.40; 3. J. Cosgrove (PH-MAS/Paul Milnes Cycles) +1.16; 4. A. Davies (A Cycling) +1.26; 5. L. Tinsley (Rotor Race Team) +1.41; 6. J. Jackson (The MI Racing Academy) +2.01. Under-14 female: 1. Florence Greenhalgh (East Bradford Race Team) 4 laps in 37.45; 2. L. Glover (Derwentside CC) +1.03; 3. I. Wolff (Holmﬁrth Cycling Club) +1.12; 4. L. Wollaston (VC Londres) +1.54; 5. G. Carey (Palmer Park Velo RT) +2.10; 6. A. Cebak (Team Milton Keynes) +2.16.

ROAD RACING S AT U R DAY, JA N U A RY 1 1 Velo29 Winter Series round one (Croft Racing Circuit, North Yorkshire) E, 1, 2, 3, 4: 1. Aaron Preston (Cleveland Wheelers); 2. J. Crook (Liverpool Mercury); 3. R. Jones (Ribble Weldtite Pro Cycling); 4. L. Wise (Bikestrong-KTM); 5. B. Granger (Wheelbase); 6. W. Foster (JRC-Shutt-

RIDER OF THE WEEK Megan Thomson (York Cycleworks) Velo29 Winter Circuit Series Thomson drew ﬁrst blood in round one of the Velo29 Winter Circuit Series at the Croft motor racing circuit in North Yorkshire on Saturday. Will she be able to do the same next weekend?

Ridley Race Team); 7. R. Turner (PM Racing); 8. S. Brown (JRC-Shutt-Ridley Race Team); 9. H. Hollyman (Otley CC); 10. D. Hudson (Onimpex Bio Racer RT). Fourth cat: 1. John Routledge (Barnesbury CC); 2. C. Stephenson (unattached); 3. R. Norris (Kelso Wheelers); 4. J. Smith (unattached); 5. M. Birkett (Velo Culture); 6. C. Smith (unattached); 7. J. Stephenson (Triology Multisport Solutions); 8. S. Caul (unattached); 9. S. Chadburn (Rapha Cycling Club); 10. D. Chesters (unattached). Women: 1. Megan Thomson (York Cycleworks); 2. L. Watson (Team Boompods); 3. L. Ellmore (Otley CC); 4. F. Smith (Talent Cycling); 5. S. Hulme (City RC Hull); 6. D. Ellis (JRC-Shutt-Ridley Racing Team); 7. C. Roberts (Darlington Tri). Full Gas Winter Circuit Series (Lee Valley Velopark, London): Third cat: 1. Jake Crossley (Tofauti Everyone Active); 2. R. Durnford (Paceline RT); 3. A. Chamberlin (TPH Racing); 4. A. Sandhu (unattached); 5. A. Dale (Lee Valley YCC); 6. L. Prenelle (VC Londres); 7. J. Lear (ROTOR Race Team); 8. J. Sargeant (LKY7/SD Racing); 9. P. Wilson (unattached); 10. G. Oehlert (WORX Factory Racing). Fourth cat: 1. Matt Bailey (RIAK Fitness); 2. S. Skinner (Paceline); 3. C. Stanyard (unattached); 4. B. Flanagan (Artel CC); 5. N. Barrett (VC Vittoria); 6. N. Richards (unattached); 7. R. Young (unattached); 8. J. Donaghy (unattached); 9. P. Lovett (unattached); 10. J. Walshe (unattached). Women: 1. Olivia Fitz-Poole (unattached); 2. L. Choy (London Dynamo); 3. J. Richards (unattached); 4. R. Day (Dirty Wknd); 5. L. Wijlaars (Dulwich Paragon CC); 6. J. Szarka (Dirty Wknd).

LAST WEEK Australian National Road Championships (January 8-12) Team Ineos’s world champion Rohan Dennis was beaten for the second successive year in the men’s time trial by Luke Durbridge, the Mitchelton-Scott rider becoming national champion for the fourth time in the discipline. Nineteenyear-old Sarah Gigante won the women’s race. In the road races, Amanda Spratt

scored her third national title, while Cameron Meyer claimed his maiden national jersey. National Cyclo-Cross Championships (January 11-12) Sanne Cant became Belgian national champion for the 11th time, the current world champion proving her talent once again despite a poor season by

her standards. In the men’s race, Laurens Sweeck provided a minor shock, the 26-year-old beating Eli Iserbyt, Toon Aerts and Wout van Aert. Mathieu van der Poel and Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado became Dutch champions, while Eva Lechner defended her crown as Italy’s best. Thibau Nys, son of Sven, became Belgian junior champion. Cycling Weekly | January 16, 2020 | 55

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FLAMME ROUGE

Dr Hutch

Think yourself fitter? You’d be better off just riding faster, says the Doc in his sports psychology takedown

t is the time of year for stories designed to inspire you for the months ahead. Rest assured that if you take any such inspiration from me, it will have been entirely unintentional on my part. This January, quite a few of these inspiring tales have been about women outperforming men in extreme endurance sports — often focused on Jasmin Paris, who last year took the overall win in the absurdly tough Spine Race, a week-long, non-stop running race up the Pennine Way in January. Most of the inspiring tales also include Emily Chappell, who was second overall in the Transcontinental bike race in 2016 — that was more than a week of non-stop unsupported crossing Europe. (Less often do they mention Fiona Kolbinger, who won the Transcontinental overall last year.) And so, not unnaturally, the writer of the inspiring tale will want to work out why women are so good at very long, very unpleasant races, and why the gap

doctorhutch _cycling@ti-media.com

between men and women is smaller than over shorter races. The problem was neatly explained in the Guardian’s inspiring tale from a couple of weeks back, when it started by announcing that the sample sizes were much too small to draw any conclusions. It then drew some anyway. I’ll summarise the typical conclusions to try to save space. Generally, the inspiring tale concludes that it has to do with women’s ability to bear pain, their lack of ego, and a tendency to do the events for the love and the freedom rather than as an exercise in machismo. All these things are probably true, though the lack of ego and the ‘freedom’ arguments also apply to the best of the male endurance riders I know, like end-to-end record holders Michael Broadwith and Gethin Butler. The rightness or the wrongness doesn’t really bother me. What interests me is the focus on the psychological. Most of the reason women are so good at ultra-events is physiology — because events are at a low intensity so aerobic capacity matters

Great Inventions of Cycling 1816 Road buzz

Rough roads remain the bane of cyclists everywhere

60 | January 16, 2020 | Cycling Weekly

Road buzz is simply the vibration from a rough road. We are not talking about the sheer breakneck thrill of a road full of potholes, or a road that consists of slippery gravel. Nor mud and ruts and drop-offs. No Paris-Roubaix-style adventure. It’s just a road that makes you miserable without adding to your glory as a bike rider in any way. No one ever says, “You know that really crappy bit of road outside Dorking? He rides along that to get to work. Every day. He’s my cycling hero.” Road buzz was a factor from the beginning, all the more so when bikes

had wooden wheels and iron tyres. It killed off cycling entirely in New York in 1869, when all the riders who’d spent the winter learning to ride in gymnasiums transferred their new skills outside, and discovered that it gave them bruises in places they’d never imagined such a thing. They all promptly gave up. It seems incredible that in a world of disc brakes, carbon ﬁbre, elastomers and all the rest of it, that no one has yet solved this problem in a truly effective fashion. So we’re stuck with it. Battered wrists, sore backsides, fatigued spokes, loosened bolts, deadened souls and all.

Women’s aptitude for ultra-events has nothing to do with attitude

toughness is much more interesting than big legs, and most of us would rather be judged by our personalities than our heart rates. There’s also an implication that if you can improve your mind, it might spill over into other aspects of life — what better training for a lunch with your extended family could there be than learning to blot out the agony of riding non-stop across a continent while sitting on a saddle sore?

“If changing your psychology was that simple, we’d all be doing it” takes an awful lot of work, and we know it. Improving your psychology by 10 per cent? God knows how you’d even measure that, so clearly it opens up the opportunity for spending the afternoon filling in a website questionnaire and calling it ‘mental training’. (As Garfield once said, “If jogging is 50 per cent mental, I’ll do that half today and the rest of it tomorrow.”) The other attraction to psychology is that most people would rather be clever than strong any day of the week. Mental

It doesn’t work, of course, at least not as quickly and easily as you might want. If changing your psychology was that simple, we’d all be doing it. And, even more important, if psychology is the secret to athletic success, the old BC talent-search programme that went around schools would have found the next generation of Olympians by setting exams. But they didn’t. They made the kids ride bikes. And I’m afraid that most of the time that’s what we need to do too.

ACTS O F CYC LI N G STUPIDITY A reader writes: A couple of years ago I set up a Strava account, bought a new GPS, and set it up to upload automatically via my phone. But I admit that I lost interest quite quickly. Meanwhile, my wife had followed me on Strava. And, as I more or less forgot about the whole thing, she paid close attention. She was able to note all the days when I took two hours to get home from work, having claimed a late meeting. All the times that I rode three miles down the road and sat in a cafe for an hour with my mates. And so on. She made a Powerpoint of all my questionable excuse emails and texts, and the matching Strava rides, and showed it to all our friends and family as her ‘speech’ at our 10th anniversary party. I’m going to be paying for this for ever. Anon.

Photo AFP via Getty Images

less, and over several days fuelling matters much more, which levels the physical playing field considerably. But in sport, psychology has always been box-oﬃce, and there has been no shortage of other pieces this January suggesting the secret to top performance is mental. The attraction of psychology as a way of getting fitter is pretty clear — it looks easy. Improving your VO2 max by 10 per cent

Cycling Weekly | January 16, 2020 | 61

ICONS OF CYCLING Insurance For You And Your Bike

Hinault sported La Vie Claire colours for three seasons

La Vie Claire jersey

ou wouldn’t describe many cycling jerseys as works of art, but the La Vie Claire team’s literally was. Inspired by the geometric paintings of Dutch modernist Piet Mondrian, this legendary jersey on the shoulders of Bernard Hinault and Greg LeMond dominated cycling between 1984 and 1986. After a frustrating 1983 with the Renault-Elf team, where he missed the Tour de France due to recurring tendinitis while his team-mate Laurent Fignon won it, Hinault formed a new team with entrepreneur businessman Bernard Tapie. One of Tapie’s ventures, La Vie Claire — a health food chain — would be the title sponsor. Other sponsors would be Wonder, Radar, Teraillon and Look — all Tapie companies. Tapie hired Paul Köchli to be the team coach, scientist, nutritionist and guru — a radical departure from the traditional directeur sportif role — that chimed with the team’s clean message. Next Tapie needed to create a brand identity for his new team, so he commissioned a Paris design agency to 62 | January 16, 2020 | Cycling Weekly

come up with the jersey. In Richard Moore’s discussion with Fignon’s team-mate Greg LeMond, oﬀering him cycling’s first $1m book Slaying the Badger, Köchli describes the reaction when the first La Vie Claire contract to bring the 23-year-old American jersey was unveiled at the agency’s oﬃce: in as Hinault’s super domestique. “It was behind a curtain. But when the And it paid dividends. Hinault won curtain drew back, we were shocked. It was the 1985 Tour with LeMond in second. The like a superman outfit, but in black… it was team’s Canadian star Steve Bauer rounded wrong, wrong!” out the top 10. To make an awkward situation even But in 1986 all balance and harmony was worse, a student who was in the room at torn up after Hinault reneged on his the time suggested a Mondrian design promise to pay LeMond back and help him and sketched it out on a piece of paper, win the Tour. It was one of the most eliciting a “daggers” look from the black compelling editions ever, with the American jersey’s stylist. finally overcoming the Frenchman’s However, the Mondrian design was malevolent attacks to triumph, and it’s perfect, its block colours and sharp lines arguably the story of that epic duel as much suggesting precision as well as balance and as the Mondrian design that has given the harmony. Handily, there would also be a La Vie Claire jersey its iconic status. panel for each sponsor — La Vie Claire on white, N EXT WE E K’S I SSU E Wonder on blue, Radar on red and so on. ON SALE TH U RS JAN 23 La Vie Claire’s first year, How IP riders have gone faster and faster 1984, didn’t bring Hinault his Latest Garmin 530 on test: does it still pack a punch? fifth Tour de France win — What does 2020 hold for Sam Bennett? Fignon took his second Can you coach yourself to peak fitness? We find out instead. But during that race Tapie was already in

Words Simon Smythe Photo Gett y Images

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